Today I am going to talk to you about bonding, believability, credibility. How to get it, and translate it into blockbuster sales in one fell swoop.

But before I get cranked up on today’s post, I want to discuss a few items of interest. First, today’s post picks up where we left of yesterday.

So if you haven’t read Entrepreneurial Success In A Sentence yet – you should click on over to it and read it first.

Second, did you get a chance to read over all the comments fellow readers contributed and witness the collective genius of our community?

What’s that? You say you did catch all that? You say you read all the comments and you noticed the very same fact?

GOOD!                    GOOD!                   GOOD!

Now listen: did you also notice Christopher Vogelmann’s comment?

No need to flip back, I’ll tell you what he said: “Greater Rapport = Greater Profits”

More about that later.

Did you also read the rather insightful comments concerning the common (yet false) perception that the problems people experience they believe are unique to them?

Once again, no need to flip back I’ve chosen a few to share with you here…

“I think many people consider their troubles, struggles, and failings to be most personal, and that is very human, and common to all” -kel

“…the older I’ve gotten I have come to the realization that I am not (unique). My problems, desires, wishes, aspirations, dilemmas, issues, set backs, insecurities, losses, tribulations, health issues and loves are not unique. I’ve discovered that we all go through the nearly identical issues at some time during our lives, some sooner or later than others.” -Orvel

“Every businessman I know has told me more than once that there business is different, with unique problems not easily understood by outsiders. On a personal level they honestly believe that.” -Randy

“…as we grow up we are programmed not to talk about our problems and hence the same situations/challenges (that all human beings face) become personal.” – Lalitha Brahma

“I’ve come to realize that the struggles I face, the ones that i think are unique to me, are actually pretty commonplace.” -Chestin Salisbury

“Everyone thinks that their problems are unique. They take them in, internalize them and fester on them. They must be unique because if they weren’t they could just find out what someone else did to fix it and do that.” – Eric

I couldn’t of said it better myself.

Next. Did you happen to notice the shrewd comments about the agonizing isolation our problems can cause us?

You say you did? Well, let me pick just a few for the other’s who might have missed them…

“It’s crazy how we believe we are the only one with the deep dark struggle” -Paul Cooley

“Because most people are uncomfortable talking openly about their most deeply personal struggles, we rarely hear people talking about the things that are most personal to us” -Antone Roundy

“Our problems are much more common than what we believe. In fact we believe they are pretty unique.” – Kayvon

“At the time, I felt SO alone in my struggles, and yet now i Know that I most certainly wasn’t the only one out there trying to make the switch… It’s funny how we do that as humans, isn’t it? We hole up when we’re scared or in pain of some sort and feel like no else in the world shares our pain.” – Jennifer McCay

You did catch all that? Wonderful. I knew you would.

After all, you are one of my readers and my readers are the sharpest people (true) marketing online today.

And because you’re so clever, you most certainly, realized this profound truth…

The Problems You Experience (and more importantly your prospects have) Are The Seeds To Your Next Marketing Breakthrough

Like these intelligent commenters…

“…as we open up and bare our souls to others… surprisingly… there are occasionally others who say ‘HEY!! THAT’S MY STORY TOO!! THAT’S EXACTLY HOW I FEEL!!’” -Will Kenderdine

“…I think it’s that journey that we all have in common. And i guess when thinking about empathizing with your customers, it’s those experiences from that journey that we all have in common, and that’s what we can tap into when interacting with our customers.” -Gerard

“…my take on the sentence is that even through we all feel that our problems are unique to us, they are in fact a problem that everyone faces and if you can solve your problem and move yourself closer to your goal, then you have in face created a solution that millions of others also have and will gladly pay money for or give their attention to.” – Graeme McLeish

“…by participating in really open and intense ‘group therapy’ (for years, and years, and years) is that everyone’s ‘problems’ are the same, we lose sight of that fact when the problems are our own, and therefore they look insurmountable. It is always easier to see a logical and reasonable solution to someone else’s problem.” – Stafford “Doc” Williamson

“I can see how marketing to these personal fears and insecurities would give you a leveraged advantage.” – Colin

“it means ‘how do I make a pearl out of my own issue and show others how to do it too?’ It also points to seeing that what you are passionate about, others will be too, if you trust and believe in your passion. First, you must recognize your passion (which is intimately connected with your ‘problem’ or ‘challenge’ or whatever it is that you are interested in solving) – Lil

“Second, you must open yourslef up to finding a creative way to turn it into a service that makes the world a better place. No doubt, others have your same passion/problem/challenge.” – Lil

Well done! All in all, you guys really nailed the issues yesterday and provided tons of great insights.

O.K., that’s enough back-slapping.

Let’s dive into the subject of today’s post which is the direct relationship between EMPATHY and PROFITS.

If you’re familiar with my work, you know I am huge fan of Peter Drucker. And one of my favorite quotes (of his) is “The goal of marketing is to make selling superfluous”

You see, there’s a difference between Marketing and Selling. And when done correctly Marketing precedes Selling.

Better yet, when you marketing is effective (and comes first), your selling is a lot more profitable.

It’s a matter of timing. Marketing is like seduction.

(for the sake of  simplicity, in this example – we’ll assume you’re a heterosexual man)

If you ask a woman to go to bed with you (the sales question), whether or not she  says “yes” is largely a matter of WHEN you ask her . If you ask her immediately, as soon as you’ve been introduced, most likely she will think you are a creep and tell you to get lost.

However, if you wait a while, wait until she  gets to know you a little, wait until you’ve wined and dined her  a few times, wait until she’s  had a chance to warm up to you, to discover that you are, indeed, a fine fellow , (which is the one of the goals of your marketing) then, my friend, your chances of getting a “yes” for an answer are much, much better.

So it is with online marketing. If you take the trouble to warm up your prospect, to seduce her a little before you pop the big question (“will you buy my stuff?”) then your closing rate will be much, much higher.

Really. This is the Numero Uno mistake made online today. Think about it: What does it matter how sparkling your copy, how compelling your offer, or how attractive your price if your prospect doesn’t trust and believe you?

You know, this simple truth seems to me to be so self-evident that I feel a bit silly being redundant about it.

But you know what? I’d rather be redundant than bankrupt and bankrupt is where a lot of internet marketers have wound up because of a failure to grasp this simple and “obvious” concept.

How To Display The Maximum Amount Of Empathy (And Make The Sale At The Same Time)

So, now that you know the most successful marketers appear likable, honest and trustworthy…Wouldn’t you like to know how to make certain you appear that way (and I pray to God you really are that way too)?

How about if I told you it would bond your readers to you like nothing you’ve ever seen before, would you be even more interested to find out how?

It’s actually quite simple, really. Although, make-no-mistake, it isn’t easy to do (but I can show you how – if you ask).

All you have to do is articulate your prospects problems better than they have ever done.

Think about it – have you ever had a chronic problem, pain or challenge that you struggled with? Of course, you have, we all do, right?

Well, think back for a second and see if you can remember a time when you met someone who totally understood your challenge – so much so when they explained your problem back to you, you were excited because this person truly understood what you were experiencing and feeling.

You were like “Finally! Someone who understands what it’s like to be me!”

Think about how your feeling shifted about that person who “got-it.”

Do you know what else usually happens in the mind of your prospects – when they feel as if you “got-it”?

Pay close attention here, this is real important…

When an expert describes your problem better than you can – you automatically assume they also have a way to solve it!

It’s critical to remember this: Your prospects are NOT currently craving more information (we’re already overloaded) . What they crave more than anything else is ADVICE. And before anyone considers paying for advice (or buying the physical product you advise) they have to feel that you understand them. You need to understand who they are, and the situation they’re in.

Famed copywriter John Carlton says, “Most people feel misunderstood, and their dammed pissed off about it.” I tend to agree with John on this.

That’s why the ability to put down in words what your prospects are struggling with is so powerful.

Now, the good news is this actually easier to do than you might imagine. The reason – most people don’t think deeply about their problems to be able to clearly express them.

Which means you definitely have the opportunity to express your prospects’ problems better than they can if you spend enough time thinking about those problems and play around on how best to articulate it.

This is immensely easier to do if you are a member of the market you want to market to. For example, way back when I wrote the Internet Business Manifesto, the frustration, problems and struggles I highlighted came from personal experience.

Did it work?

I’d say so. That report generated over 35,000 opt-ins (mostly by it going viral much more so then through the few jv partners i had) and brought back $109 per opt-in in immediate sales. In case you’re fuzzy at math, that’s $3,815,000.

O.K., that’s why I was so excited when I saw Christopher Vogelmann’s comment “Greater Rapport = Greater Profit.” Because he’s spot on!

That wraps up today’s lesson. Sorry it was longer than I thought it would be. Tomorrow I’ll do my best to condense it.

Here’s what I need you to do next: (remember this is a dialogue, not a monologue)

Answer these two questions in the comments section below

1. Tell me your biggest AHA from today. What was the most valuable nugget you from today’s post?

2. Based on what I laid out for you today – what would you like me to help you with tomorrow?

And then (as a favor to me) please retweet this post (you’ll find the button to the right of the headline).

Till tomorrow (remember, I’m posting here every morning at 10 a.m.)….

To greater profits and beyond,
Rich Schefren

****THIS BLOG POST IS CONTINUED IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT – WHICH CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE****

Share this article

Comments: